Worth its salt?
For those who don't mind its brackish taste, filtered tap water in Bangkok is safe to drink — at least to some extent
12/03/2014
Arusa Pisuthipan
Tap water in many parts of Bangkok, even after being filtered, has never before tasted so salty and unpalatable — so much so that many households have opted to purchase bottled drinking water. And the cause is clear. A few weeks ago, the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) announced an unusually early intrusion of seawater into its pumping station, which threatened the production of tap water in urban neighbourhoods. According to the MWA, salt water usually reaches the MWA’s Sam Lae pumping station in the Muang district of Pathum Thani province — the station that feeds fresh water to the MWA’s tap water production facility in the eastern part of Bangkok — from April to May. The problem often resolves by itself in the rainy season, which usually begins in May or June.